Computer networks are well known in the art and continue to grow in size and complexity. This growth is fueled by more computers being connected to networks and connecting networks to other networks to create a distributed computing environment. Distributed computing environments can contain computers from different manufacturers and/or computers having different operating systems and applications. Differences between the networked computers can create unique operational requirements for a user.
For example, a user generally must provide a secret password to log onto a local computer that is on a network. The local computer checks the entered password against a password registry to confirm the identity and authorization of the user. Once the user logs onto the local computer, the local computer may regulate access to files and other resources based upon the user's identity.
In some distributed computing environments, for example, hundreds of users may access files on tens or hundreds of computers. Each of these computers may contain a password registry so that users must log onto each local computer using a password that is consistent with the local password registry. When differences exist between the local password registries on different computers, the user may need to remember many different passwords.